


Everything Changes

by PerditusFic



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-17
Updated: 2018-09-30
Packaged: 2018-10-06 22:57:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,165
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10346475
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PerditusFic/pseuds/PerditusFic
Summary: On their trip to find Robin, Regina and Emma run into a five-year-old child in need of help. Returning to Storybrooke without Robin, the two of them have to readjust to life with a new child to co-parent while also trying to discover the true depths of their own relationship. (Slow-Burn)





	1. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm very late I know.
> 
> I spend a lot of time writing and rewriting until I like the scene and between that and work, a week is never enough time for it. So, I'll post a new chapter as soon as I can. Maybe at some point I can get on a regular schedule.

**6 Hours Earlier.**

Ever since Storybrooke crashed into Emma's life, for the past few years everyone said her sleep was a dangerous thing. Henry and David had joked about it. Snow was overly concerned and Regina was a natural at combining snark and concern into a simple sentence and make it mean something. She could sleep through anything and until that night, she really didn't think it was that bad.

Until the police lights bathed the room and sirens and banging startled her out of her sleep, she didn't think it was possible for her to actually sleep through something important.

She shot upright in bed, hand unconsciously going for the spot Regina was supposed to be in. Her eyes stayed squinted as she searched the room. The bathroom door was cracked and the light was off. Regina being missing would've normally prompted her to grab her gun  and hunt someone down but red and blue were reflecting off every surface in the room.

Emma stumbled out of the sheets to open the door, noting that it opened easily. Her eyes scanned the parking lot just outside the door and her stomach dropped at the thought that someone snatched Regina…and maybe her body was found.

And she'd slept through it all.

But it didn't make sense. Regina wasn't supposed to be anyone important outside of Storybrooke.

"Regina," Emma called, too low for anyone to hear as her voice was hoarse from her deep slumber. She stepped outside the door and was met with an ambulance and police cars. "Regina."

"Ma'am?" Emma turned to a tall man in uniform on her other side. "You know a Regina Mills?"

"Yes, she-" Emma looked around, only now noticing the door to the room next to hers was wide open and all kinds of people were moving in an out of it. "What's going on?"

"There was an incident. Was she in this room with you?" The officer asked.

"Yeah."

He gestured to another officer and they muttered something about searching the room. Normally, Emma would hammer them about probable cause and all that but she was more concerned about Regina.

Where was Regina?

The officers were searching for all of two minutes before they were already digging through her stuff. It was record time, too.

"Whoa," one of them said, holding up her firearm. "I got a SIG."

"Ma'am who's firearm is that?" the tall officer asked.

"It's mine. I got papers and a permit."

After a moment an all clear nod was given when they discovered said permit in a pocket – along with her badge. The three of them convened inside the room as Emma attempted to look around the other officers standing in the way of the room in question next to hers. And then they filed out after quickly finding the Regina's bag was full of junk that could make her no more suspicious than she usually was.

_I'm sure they were looking for lace underwear and tampons_ , Emma thought,  _Definitely serious contraband_.

"Sheriff Swan, I'm Officer Martin," the tall one said putting his hand out to her. She didn't take it, crossing her arms over her chest to reduce the night chill on her skin. "Can you tell me what you know about Regina Mills?"

"She's the mayor," Emma said quietly. "Where is she?"

"Mayor of Storybrooke, Maine, was it?"

"Yes. Can someone tell me what's going on?"

"I-"

Just then, Regina finally appeared walking with an officer holding her arm. And she was handcuffed. There was the sound of a hysterical child crying coming from the room and just as Regina was walked out a woman in a wrinkled suit rushed into the room.

Emma ignored Martin and got to Regina quickly, halting her march to the back of a police car. Ignoring the woman holding Regina, Emma stood in front of them and touched Regina's shoulders. She searched her for injuries. She was happy to find none.

"Ma'am-"

"It's alright, Phillips. Give them a minute," Martin said.

"What the here happened?" Emma asked in a harsh whisper.

"I couldn't listen to it. He was going to hurt her and I couldn't let that happen, not again," Regina said. Emma gave her a look like she was crazy but she just grinned. "I'll be fine. Everything will be fine in the morning."

"You're being arrested, Regina."

"I know what I did and it's clear what they were doing to themselves…and that little girl."

"Stop speaking all cryptic and shirt. You're being arrested. This is serious."

"Time's up, Sheriff," Officer Phillips said, wrapping her hand around Regina's arm again and guiding her towards a police cruiser.

Emma spotted another cruiser with a man kicking and scream in the back. He looked terrible and it was becoming only a littler clear what happened. She didn't miss the drug unit parked nearby either. A black body bag was being wheeled away. From her position, she could see inside the room. A shattered lamp and a toppled chair.

The woman in the wrinkled suit hurried out of the room with a small girl in her arms. She looked tired and distraught, no doubt because she hadn't been able to console the crying child along with the late time. Emma noticed the telltale signs of a committed social worker with a heavy load – always wanting to help but never having the proper resources. Emma only had one like that, the woman cared a lot but had so many cases and so little decent homes to provide.

As she neared her car the crying turned pained, a small hand reaching out just before Regina was about to duck into the cruiser. "Gina," the girl cried. And when Regina made no move towards her and she wasn't going to be put down, her cries intensified.

"It'll be okay, sweet girl. I promise," Regina said and let herself be put inside the car at the same moment the social worker put the child in a car seat in the back of her car.

Two police cruisers and a silver sedan pulled off into the night leaving Emma in the chaos.

Martin came up to her with a saddened look on his face. "I'm sorry your night was disrupted this way, Sheriff, but we need all the guests to check out. We have a lot of rooms with a lot of drugs. So, you're free to go." He walked away without waiting for her acknowledgement.

Emma looked up to the bright green sign and shook her head, "Lucky my ass…"

* * *

**Present.**

Emma had several nervous ticks. They were subtle and never too noticeable to most people. Regina noticed. Henry was too damn  _aware_  for a 14-year-old, so he noticed a few of them. One tick she'd never had before a Saturday morning waiting for Regina Mills to be released from jail was wringing her hands together. She also never had sweaty palms enough to constantly be wiping her hands on her pants. She tucked her hands in her pockets, rubbed the back of her neck, and raked her fingers through her hair too much. Never wringing.

"Emma."

After wiping her hands of sweat one more time the voice she'd been dying to hear called her from behind. She turned around fast enough to give herself whiplash but if it happened it wouldn't have mattered since she was looking at Regina.

Regina who had been in jail all night.

"Regina?" Emma walked the small distance between them putting her arms around Regina's shoulders, pulling her close. "Jesus Christ, you scared the shirt out of me."

"I'm fine," Regina said. It didn't hold enough weight to be convincing and she knew it but to not be behind bars and back in Emma's presence was a relief.

The night wasn't terrible. It wasn't great either. The holding the cell wasn't her bedroom and she was alone. It was surprisingly too quiet for her. Her thoughts roamed a lot even when there was too much noise and the six hours in that cell did nothing to make her memories of her mother fade. Hearing what she had from that room unlocked the cage she put her mother in. It was easy to remember the pain that was inflicted like she had scars to remember it by. Her mother didn't hurt her in a way that she couldn't heal with a bit of magic.

It was slow process to learn to deal with the reality of her childhood and move on. Easy for her. She was an adult who'd gone through her vengeful phase. Emma was an adult who'd admirably won her way through a game of poker with a shirtty hand.

But then that's were her thoughts left her for the remaining hours of her lock up.

Maddox was only a child. Not even really a child, practically a baby. Four or five years old with abusive, addict parents. Regina had only hoped her intervention was the only time something like that had happened. Hopeful thoughts didn't stop her from worrying about the girl when she reluctantly tried to take a small nap to take her mind off of dark thoughts and throbbing hand pains.

The only time she felt some relief from any of it was after - in Emma's embrace. Tight, unwilling to let her go.

"I'm okay," Regina said. She ignored her hands staying too tight against Emma's leather jacket. It was a black one that she hadn't seen before. She almost missed the red one. Almost. Emma looked good in this one anyway. "I'm okay."

Emma pulled away, her hands moving to Regina's forearms. "I don't know what to say," she said, managing to sound teary but only looking concerned.

"You don't have to say anything. Just…please tell me, Miss Swan, you can take me to a hotel that isn't named something in relation to pool."

"Of course not. I found the most pretentious, stuck-up hotel I could find in Portland." Regina looked a bit surprised and Emma shrugged. "You said those are the places that have the soft beds that I like."

Regina let out a breath that sounded like a laugh. She shook her head, unconsciously pulling at the sleeves of the long, gray sweatshirt she was wearing. "I won't pretend it was a long time and I was suffering in there, but I think I missed that."

"Missed what?" Emma asked.

"Your terrible sense of humor and…well, maybe you."

Emma gave a timid smile and said, "They really messed you up in there didn't they…" She nodded her head towards the entrance, guiding Regina in the right direction because they were both ready to put the last 24 hours behind them.

* * *

The Greenwich Hotel was as grand and pretentious as one could get in Portland in Emma's opinion and Regina couldn't have been more at home – after they had gotten to the suite. Emma figured Regina needed to get back to herself again since in the lobby all the looks thrown their way went completely ignored. Although, it's not like she care for many people's opinion anyway.

Emma threw her jacket into a chair and laid down face first on the bed she hadn't gotten acquainted with yet. Regina disappeared into the bathroom and it didn't occur to Emma until after she woke up from her unplanned nap that it had been a long time for her to be in there. Even with a relaxing soak, Emma should've been woken up by Regina telling her to move over since she got a one bed suite – because she wasn't sure she'd be coming back alone or not.

When Emma unburied herself from the pillow she claimed, she found the room empty and got up to knock on the bathroom door. "Regina? You okay?"

Emma unbuckled her belt and took it off tossing it over her shoulder. Her stress level went down from the simple action, so she kicked off her boots too. Now all she needed was to get in her pajamas.

"Gina? Are you asleep in the tub?"

With a half knock, she tried the handle and the door swung open easier than she expected. She was used to resistance in every aspect of her life.

Instead of asleep in the tub, Emma discovered Regina, her very put together friend, on the floor of the bathroom in a robe and a bottle of wine. The tub was drained, and her hair was still damp, curling at the ends.

So, she slept through a breakdown.

"Regina?"

Tired, brown eyes looked at her. Not an ounce of regret or embarrassment at being caught. Just tired. Not puffy or bloodshot.

"This is it. It's happening now," Regina said.

"What? What's…happening?" Emma questioned, walking deeper into the bathroom. It was marble nearly everywhere and Emma was sure Regina would be sore from sitting there so long.

"For someone like me to seem so put together, I have to…" She sighed and glanced down at the bottle before looking back up at Emma. Her eyes asked for a bit of understanding without the need for explanation. The universe blessed her with a friend who got her.

Emma nodded and came to sit down next to her. "Can I have some of that?" Regina handed her the bottle and watched her take a tentative sip from it. "A little snooty tasting but I can hang." Regina snorted. "Let it out."

"Yes. I would never let anyone see me this way. Consider yourself lucky, Miss Swan."

"I'd like to think I'm very special since you put up with all my shirt and you haven't killed me yet." Regina took the bottle from her hands and gulped a fair amount of wine. "Regina, you're my best friend. I'll have your back. And this? I'll take it to the grave."

"I suppose it's about time. I never…it never happened when Robin left."

"You didn't have time when I was feeding you ice cream and tequila shots."

"Why now? Why not yesterday?"

"Did you really want to do this at the Lucky 8's?" Regina grimaced and took another long drink from the bottle. "This makes sense. Right here, right now."

"How?" Regina frowned.

"Robin is gone. Officially gone. There no chance of him coming back into your life. So, this is your grieving for everything that's happened with him."

"How badly has the last day been where you make sense?"

Emma chuckled, taking the bottle and sitting it between them. A long silence lingered around them until Regina spoke again.

"There's nothing else to do but finish the bottle. I've told you how I feel. Nothing's change."

"I know you don't want to but…maybe you need to cry about it?"

Regina waved her hand toward the small trash bin by the door. She'd missed it on her way in, but it was piled high with balled up tissues and there were few littered around it.

"You're a good shot." Emma teased, and Regina elbowed her. "No break up is easy. Even when it's the right thing for you or them. If it's a mutual thing, it still hurts."

"But I'm relieved I don't have this pressure on my back."

"He still betrayed you. Chose your sister, who is the worst kind of evil, over you. That has to sting and that's okay."

"Do you believe what you said? About soulmates?"

"Maybe. I'd like to think that Neal was  _one_  of my soulmates and that I'll find another one."

"Some part of me wonders if it's even in the stars for me to fall in love again."

"I think so."

Emma stood up from the floor and shuffled through the cabinet for the first aid kit. Regina insisted her hand was fine even though she had been noticeably choosing not to use it. The few times Emma saw her even move her fingers was in the car on the way to the hotel and they seemed stiff. She pulled a few things out and took her spot next to Regina again.

"Hand." Regina rolled her eyes but offered her hand up to Emma, who took it gently. She dabbed at it with a swab and the hand jerked from hers.

"shirt," Regina muttered.

"Sorry. I'll be careful," Emma said. She took the hand back and touched lightly at her bruised knuckles, blowing to intercept the pain of the alcohol. "Try to see the bright side of all of this."

"What exactly would that be, Miss Swan?"

"You made it out of jail without becoming someone's bench."

"Excuse me? I will be no one's… _bench_."

Emma chuckled, "I was joking. If anything, everyone else would've been your bench."

"Is there another bright side?"

"You saved a kid's life and the chief of police thanked you for it."

"Not exactly thanked, more like didn't charge me for breaking and entering or assault…but I suppose, you have a point."

"I think we should officially say 'fork Robin' and binge on room service and a marathon of Game of Thrones," Emma said. Discarding the packaging and throwing it away, Emma helped Regina to her feet. "Plus, uh, I think you'd pass out being filled up on Chardonnay."

"I should call Henry."

"Okay. You call Henry, I call room service?"

"Sure. It better be season 2 or we're not watching."

Emma gave her a dismissive wave as she left the bathroom with the nearly empty wine bottle in her hand. She disappeared to the living area of the suite, leaving Regina alone in the bedroom to change. Finding something to wear was easy but explaining her side of the previous day's events to Henry seemed like another headache to accompany the one she earned from almost finishing that Chardonnay by herself.

But she did feel better.

* * *

"Are you sure you want to stay for the weekend?" Regina asked. "You don't have to."

"You think I'd leave? One day here alone…who knows what will happen with you," Emma said.

They were at a café a safe distance between the hotel and the police station. There were no plans to go back there but the Chief did say they could have follow up questions. They'd call but just to be safe she wanted to stay one more day despite her desire to go back home Henry and work.

"You admit nothing good will come my way anytime soon?"

Regina took a sip from her coffee with her sore hand. It felt much better than it had yesterday morning. She supposed it was Emma's concern she had to thank for that – and Emma's constant reminder that Zelena, Robin, and that man deserved it.

"No, I'm saying if I leave you here for a few hours, I'll come back to you being the governor or something."

"Now you're just being ridiculous. I would never settle for governor. President sounds nice."

"Yeah, definitely not leaving you here." Emma raised an eyebrow at Regina's smirk. There was no doubt in her mind Regina could manage that in a short amount of time. "Storybrooke is just another hour away, we'd be back in no time once we're on the road again."

"I'd be fine."

"You would never say otherwise so I don't have to believe you. What do you want to do while we're here anyway? You know I could just spend the day sleeping."

"I'm aware."

"There's a lot of parks and food tasting in Old Port…There's a fire engine tour, too."

"I've never really been outside of Storybrooke without a goal to accomplish."

"Even Henry said you need a break. Relaxing and getting Robin's bad juju out of your system is the goal…"

Emma looked up when the quiet bell of the café door sounded behind Regina. A woman walked in which wasn't unusual for the last five people to walk in since they'd been there. But it was unusual that said woman didn't look to have any intentions on ordering anything. She glanced around for only a second before she spotted their table and she walked towards them with a determined look in her eye.

"Bad juju?" Regina chuckled.

"I went to the bathroom for like 3 minutes," Emma said, looking back to Regina. "What did you do?"

"What are you talking about?" Regina frowned. Emma nodded her head towards the woman approaching but before she could turn to look, she was already at their table. Regina raised an eyebrow as she looked up to the woman.

She looked familiar but neither of them could point out why.

"Are you Regina Mills?" The woman asked.

"Can I help you with something?" Regina asked in return.

"I've been trying to find a way to contact you. Thank god, I recognized the Volkswagen," the woman said, lifting her hand. "Jaime Marvel. I'm Maddox's social worker."

Now it made sense. In the night, only illuminated by police lights, she'd moved quickly. Emma remembered the wrinkled pantsuit. Regina recalled the sympathetic and grateful look she received as she was put in the back of the police cruiser.

Regina shook her hand. "Maddox?"

"The little girl you saved."

"Yes, I remember. I couldn't forget. You were looking for me?"

"I was. I do want to thank you for what you did." She pulled a business card from the pocket of her blazer and laid it on the table. "And I can imagine you need some time to recover from what happened that night. However, I'd really appreciate it if you could find the time to meet with me soon."

"Meet for what exactly?"

"It's unusual to even consider complying with the demands of a child in many instances but Maddox hasn't made it easy-"

"I'm afraid I don't understand…"

"Convincing her to do anything is nearly impossible and she stated very clearly that she wanted one thing."

"And what's that?" Emma asked with a frown.

"She wants to see you, Miss Mills."

 


	2. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a little darker here in the beginning so I'm issuing warnings for this chapter: Assault against a minor, emotional abuse against a minor in their care, possession of Class A drug and intake of Class A drug. Minor character death (no one you'd care for)
> 
> With all that said and done. Enjoy.

**Chapter 1**

"Refill?" The waitress asked even though she could clearly see that Emma had only taken a few sips of the coffee in her mug. When she didn't get a response, she looked out the window to where Emma was staring. There weren't many people roaming outside and the only interesting thing around might have been the station across the street, if there was something going on. "Ma'am?"

Emma jumped, finally taking her eyes away from the window. She looked up and then recalled the question. Her eyes fell to her still warm coffee. "No, thank you."

"Are you all right?"

"Long night," Emma said. She turned away, back to the window and the waitress lifted an eyebrow at her but continued her rounds around the café.

It was nearing 8 and it was a reasonable time to call her parents. Neal had better sleeping habits now but most people in Storybrooke didn't dare fall into a routine since usually another curse or villain came strolling in to disrupt the peace. Although, right about now she wouldn't mind having a reason not to call, but she had waited too long anyway. She should've called immediately but the night was such a blur it was the last thing on her mind.

She put down a few bills for her coffee and untouched bacon and eggs with a tip and left the café. The urge to go back across the street had been pulling at her all morning. They told her to stop pacing and eventually she was ordered to go get some air. It was implied she not come back too soon. There was nothing else for her to do though. Regina was refusing to do anything. And she'd seemed so calm through everything that happened last night.

Another part of her really wanted to just go back to her room at the new hotel she checked in to at nearly 4am. Hauling all of Regina's stuff – which was entirely unnecessary to her – was a bitch even with the luggage cart and the nice, cool elevator. The soft bed was so calling her name after the sleepless few hours she had staring at the ceiling. But no, she had to call before someone else threw a curveball in what was supposed to be a simple and easy trip.

After a couple more minutes of thinking, she pulled her phone from her pocket and dialed David's number. It rung three times before he picked up and he yawned into the speaker.

"Sorry. Good morning, Emma," David said, sipping his coffee.

"Morning, Dad." Emma released the breath she'd been holding and she cringed at how her voice sounded. He picked up on that quicker than her mother.

"What's wrong?" He asked. There was movement in the background.

"Is Emma okay? What's happened?" Snow asked. She was obviously too close to David, considering it sounded like she was talking in Emma's ear.

"Guys, I need to tell you something. Is Henry up yet?" Emma shifted to her right, leaning against the corner of the café, eyes still glued to the few people walking in and out of the station.

"He's up. Regina would know if we weren't following her instructions."

"Yeah, she would know." Emma chuckled, but it sounded tired and uneasy – just how she felt. "So, uh, maybe put it on speaker so he can hear, too."

There was a pause and then Henry's cheerful tone surprised her. "Hey, Ma. How's the trip? How many times have you guys stopped so mom could go to the bathroom?" He sounded more awake than she's ever heard him in the morning. Her father must have deviated from the list of breakfast foods Henry was allowed to eat. Herself and Henry were normally in much better spirits after two bowls of some sugary cereal.

"More times than I can count, kid," she said, rolling her eyes at all the stops they had to take on the way to Boston. "Uh, look, kid…I wanted to talk to you about Regina…"

"Okay…" She could hear the frown on his face.

"Don't freak out because I'm already freaking out."

"Emma, what's going on? Where is Regina?" Her mother asked.

"Regina's…she's…She got arrested. And I'm freaking out."

"What?" As she expect there was panic in her parents voices.

And then oddly enough, Henry wasn't freaking out like she thought he would and he asked, "Who pissed her off?"

Emma nearly fainted right there on the side walk.

* * *

**_15 Hours Earlier…_ **

Emma followed loosely behind Regina as the other woman took her time walking to the apartment they were looking for. Part of her didn't like being here at all but it was her idea. She had offered to do this.

After Robin left Emma found Regina having a drink at the bar a few times and they shared shots and complained to each other. Laughed. It was the closest she'd felt to being the friends they thought of themselves as. In her mind, Regina was her best friend. Her only friend that really understood her. And her best friend had been miserable for over a month, she had tried a lot to make that better with shots at the bar and an unexpected visits late on the weekends with ice cream and other junk she learned Regina liked.

It was one night, when they were sitting in the living room, Henry over at his grandparents, with alcohol and ice cream. Eventually, they'd got to sharing a carton of Bourbon Pecan Pie flavor in the middle of Bridesmaids. Regina had turned to her for a moment, staring at her before saying anything.

"I believe you," she'd said. When Emma gave her questioning look she explained, "You said you would prove you had my back. I know. I shouldn't have questioned it."

That's when the idea came to her. It had always been there in the back of her mind – where she purposely kept it – because without the men in their lives it was more fun. For Emma at least, but Robin Hood seemed easier to deal with than a too moody, needy Captain Hook. But as a friend, a good friend, she had to offer because Operation Mongoose was about helping find Regina's happy ending.

So, Regina insisted that she didn't have to do it and then Emma went and tracked down "Robin Locksley" in Boston and there they were. A nice neighborhood, good apartment. Regina stopped in front of the door numbered 314 but didn't knock.

"I can wait outside if you want," Emma said, tucking her hands into her pockets.

"No, it's fine." She sucked in a deep breath, still not raising a fist to the door. "It may seem desperate and inappropriate if I was alone."

"Desperate? Not you. Inappropriate, however, was definitely the Evil Queen's specialty." Regina frowned at her. "I'm just kidding. I got your back."

Regina relaxed at Emma's brief touch to her elbow and nodded, "Thank you for doing this," she said. Emma gave her a light smile and gestured to the door.

Finally, Regina knocked on the door with a bit of uncertainty in her furrowed eyebrows. "Robin?" She knocked a little harder and the door swung open with Robin behind it. He looked surprised, but not the 'I've missed you and now you're here' surprised. Emma noticed it clearly, but Regina was too caught up in her feelings to notice.

"Regina?" Emma frowned at him, seeing he was almost reluctant and nervous to return the hug from Regina. "W-what's going on? What are you doing here?"

Not a single word about missing her or anything.

"I just…I wanted to make sure you and Roland were all right. You never called."

"I've just been busy. Roland has school now…"

"That's great. I'm glad you're doing well."

"Are we interrupting something?" Emma asked, stepping forward. Robin just noticed her there and plastered on a fake smile.

"It's good to see you again, Sheriff."

"I'm sure," Emma mumbled.

"Uh, now. It isn't a good time. Now," he said. He stepped further out of the apartment and pulled the door behind him, like he didn't plan on inviting at least Regina in.

Unfortunately, Emma was very observant. Especially, when she had her contacts in. All nervousness and slight annoyance in his stance, not a single bone in his body seemed to realize Regina had came all this way to see him because she cared about him. Something was wrong. And the moment she thought it, Emma spotted it.

Reckless.

That would account for a lot. Just as Robin had moved in the doorway, Emma spotted something very familiar on the side table under a painting. It was just the right shade of green to make her wary.

"Robin? Who's at the door?"

Regina stiffened at the voice. Not Marian. Robin took a step back into the room, a firm hand on the door to keep the other person from pulling it open. He was strong enough against the hand but, since it came unexpected, Regina's hand in the middle of the door overpowered him. The door swung open. Wide and revealing.

Zelena stood there in a expensive looking dress and a false look of surprise on her face. Emma clenched her fists at her sides, resisting her urge to push Regina behind her to keep Zelena away. She hadn't been there every time Regina and Zelena had been alone but she knew the woman really did make Regina miserable.

"What the hell is this?" Regina asked. She sounded eerily calm, just on the edge of being upset. "Robin?"

"He doesn't have to explain anything to you Regina. It's very simple. He chose  _me_ ," Zelena said, forcing a bitter taste in Regina's mouth at the way she stroked Robin's chest just to piss her off.

"No, he chose Marian. Roland's mother. You're supposed to be dead."

"Marian's gone, Regina. I knew she would never come back no matter what kind of magic happened," Robin said. At least he had the decency to look ashamed not that it was very believable. "I'm sorry, Regina. You said it yourself you didn't want anyone to tell you who to be with."

"I chose you. And then you choose Zelena? The woman who killed Baelfire. She kidnapped a baby…all for revenge. To take everything from me. What about Roland? How could you be okay with this?" Regina questioned, gesturing to Zelena who sneered at her in offense.

"Roland will adjust. He's young."

"How long have you known?"

"I can tell the difference between my deceased wife and someone else fairly quickly."

"Let's go, Regina," Emma said lowly. Her palms were littered with marks from her nails. She was going to keep her calm, because between them someone had to be. Regina shrugged off her hand.

"So, what? All I had to do to get you to pick me was to disguise myself as your dead wife?"

"If I recall correctly, it's your fault Marian died in the first place," Robin said with narrowed eyes. Regina flinched. "So that's not fair-"

And maybe he was going to say more but Regina was fuming – done with holding in her anger and waiting to be alone to lose her control. Anything he had to say stuck in his throat the moment her open palm collided with his cheek that possibly the whole apartment building heard.

Maybe it ran in the Mills blood that once it was out, there was no reigning it back in. Zelena lunged before Emma could react. Robin stood by uselessly, cradling his cheek. Zelena's hand was wrapped around Regina's throat. Emma pulled her off and grabbed Regina to stop the impending fight before it escalated.

It ran deep in the Mills blood.

Regina got Zelena in the cheek, too. But Robin had it easy because Regina's right hook was brutal when she put force into it. Zelena had a red print on the side of her face matching Robin's and a bleeding lip to go along with it.

Emma wrapped her arms around Regina's waist, even though she wasn't really fighting against her. "We need to go. It's not worth it. They're not worth it," Emma said in her ear.

"You two deserve each other," Regina spat.

"Well, I certainly hope so. I am pregnant after all," Zelena said proudly.

"Fucking hell…" Emma muttered, staring down Robin in the hall behind Zelena. "You son of bitch…"

"I didn't mean for it to happen. It just did," Robin said, like it was a good excuse.

Regina jerked out of Emma's embrace and stalked away down the hall where some of their neighbors were peeking out from their apartments.

"You should go before I call the police. I'm sure with your past that's the last thing you need," Zelena said with a curl in her lip. "Or would you like to take your chances with your anger, Sheriff? Maybe prison wasn't that bad for you, hm?"

Under any other circumstances Emma would have maybe just tried to strangle her and succeed but she had friends in a lot of places.

"No, I'm good but you won't be." Emma turned and followed the path Regina blazed into the floor on her way out. She caught a few curious looks, along with Robin checking to make sure she was leaving. Emma paused for a short moment and said, "Don't mind us. Mr. Locksley has two girlfriends and a wife…" Shocked gasps erupted, and Robin had the audacity to look betrayed. "…who has cancer."

She didn't stick around to see what hell that would bring him but she had worse.

* * *

_**13 hours earlier...** _

The bar was low lit with softer music than Emma was expecting playing in the background. Menacing in the exterior and not so much on interior. It was Regina's kind of place she guessed. A little more upscale than Emma liked but this was far from being about her. Regina just got a nuke dropped in her lap – and her response had been to punch it.

Through the small groups of people laughing lightly and sharing drinks, Emma found a familiar figure hovering over a drink at the corner of the bar. The bartender said something and refilled the glass. Emma could see the label from across the room. After the day that just happened Emma didn't blame her for hitting the hard stuff but it wasn't Regina like.

Emma took the stool on the corner next to Regina and ordered two shots and a beer. The bartender got them to her quick and moved on to the next customers. Emma slid one of the shot glasses next to Regina's drink and started slow sips on her beer, welcoming the chance that they'd share nothing but silence all night until the bar closed.

And for a while that looked to be the plan for the night as they both sipped and contemplated. But then Regina's hand pulled away from her glass and grabbed the shot instead. In the middle of her drink of beer, Emma picked up her own shot and they both tapped the edges together. Regina threw back the shot and Emma did the same when she was done with her beer.

"How did you find me?" Regina asked.

"I followed you after you left the apartment building, but I hung back for a while. I figured you needed some time alone." Emma shrugged. "I went back to the hotel…took a nap, but then I got worried maybe you got lost or…mugged. Took me a minute to find a bar you'd actually go into."

"And if I had gotten mugged?"

"After what happened…the universe can't be that fucked up."

"Oh, but it is," Regina said with a bitter, humorless laugh. "It really is. For me."

"I've been in shitty places, it does get better."

"That's the problem, Emma. I'm an idiot for thinking that life wouldn't kick me in the teeth again."

"You're making it hard for me to be the optimist here."

"Where's your mother and her hope speeches when you need her?" Regina chuckled. Emma grinned and rolled her eyes, happy that at least it was a genuine laugh from her so soon.

"Does it hurt?" Regina frowned, and Emma gestured near her glass. "Your hand?"

She knew it probably did considering her knuckles were so red, her hand had to be throbbing. Emma watched Regina attempt to flex her hand, but the movement came stiff and she hissed in pain. Regina removed her ring from her finger and pocketed it, leaving her hand bare and even redder under the dim lights.

Emma whistled, impressed by the bruising. She gently took her hand, Regina relaxed at the soothing feel of her cold fingers, and inspected her knuckles. "You have a brutal hook. Maybe you should try kickboxing…or just boxing?"

"I'd rather not punch anything else."

"You can come with me. It'll make you feel better. Didn't whopping Zelena in the face feel good?"

Regina dared to look shy about it. "Maybe a little." A lot. "But is it terrible that a part of me feels relieved he turned out to be everything I thought he wasn't?"

"Uh, I guess not. He's a douchebag anyway."

"I don't think I was ever in love with him," Regina quietly said, looking into her drink. "I think I wanted to be, so I tried harder than I normally would. My reality is that I was just in love with the idea of him. A soulmate."

"I maybe was snooping around in your books one time and saw something that mentioned people can have more than one soulmate. Plus, soulmates and True Loves aren't the same thing."

"Look who's actually paying attention in class."

"I would make you buy the next two shots for that, but we should probably drive back tonight."

Emma could tell it would be a while before she could uproot Regina from her spot, so she finished her beer and entertained her friends need for a few drinks and much lighter conversation. Conversation that would've eventually led them well into midnight if Regina hadn't started to grow quiet out of exhaustion, which was signal that it was time to go back to Storybrooke. Emma knew from experience after a day in hell nothing was better than sleeping off several shots and brandy in your own bed for a few days.

* * *

They checked out and hit the road at nearly eleven and Emma drove for little over an hour to cut the nearly four hour trip back to Storybrooke in half. That wasn't the plan. She had hoped to drive all the way back and get there late in the night but after nodding off a few times, stopping for the night didn't seem too bad of an idea. Much better than getting herself and Regina killed.

As expected, when Emma returned with a single room key at a sketchy-ish motel and woke Regina up, the woman was startled by the giant, tacky 'Lucky 8's' sign blinding her. Emma was far too familiar with her complaining, so she didn't take anything Regina said seriously. And she certainly didn't care when it was revealed their last room happened to be only have  _one_  full bed.

But Regina was tired, from Robin and from the brown liquor so her fight left her quicker than Emma expected. She was in a t-shirt and shorts, slipping under the sheets when Regina muttered, "I hate you."

"No, you don't," Emma said and pulled the sheets back from the other side of the bed. "It's just one night."

She didn't say anything about the silk pajama pants Regina wore or the designer tank top. Everyone who'd met Regina knew she was too rich and too refined to be sleeping in a motel called 'Lucky 8's' but they were headed on the road to a town in the middle of nowhere…that didn't actually exist.

Regina found herself wide awake. This place wasn't her home or the nice hotel from last night. Her eyes drooped plenty of times, but she refused to sleep. She couldn't. The walls made noise and cars were leaving and arriving at suspicious times of night. And she worried about her suitcase in Emma's car. She'd almost considered going to get it but shadows lingered outside the window a little too long for her comfort.

She glanced at the clock and found 2:43AM blinking back at her. With a small groan, her eyes returned to the dingy ceiling. Emma's soft snoring on her left was almost soothing enough to keep her from jumping at every sound.

Staring at the pattern into the ceiling was almost entertaining until her eyes were on her bed mate who was on her back with strands of hair bobbing up and down from the constant in and out of her breath.

A small smile ghosted over her lips. Without the natural apprehension Emma wore on her face, she looked young. Too young to be used to sleeping in a motel without any worries. Emma was an idiot most of the time but she had her moments – when she wasn't talking – like this, that Regina found endearing. Kind of adorable.

Unconsciously, she reached out and tucked the hair back behind Emma's ear and pulled back swiftly the second she realized what she was doing. Acquainted conflict resettled in her stomach the way it did when Emma's existence just confused her. If she were being honest with herself, Emma had been bringing such conflict since Neverland.

Panic had her pulling away and stiffening, afraid that maybe Emma felt that and would wake up to call her out on it. Although, instead of that happening – it was unlikely anyway – Emma turned on her side and settling close to Regina. And if the creaking of the old motel kept her wide awake, then the creaking of the old motel  _and_  Emma Swan  _cuddled_  against her would certainly keep her awake for much longer than a couple of hours.

Warm, minty breath tickled her cheek and she stole a glance to the woman who was sound asleep.

"I don't understand my life," Regina murmured. She didn't have the heart to snatch herself away like she would if she was forced to share a bed with anyone else.

So, she stayed.

And after a while Emma's warmth nearly lulled her to sleep until another car door slammed hard. Her eyes managed to slip closed again, when an arm was draped over her stomach but only a moment later the door to the room right next to theirs opened and slammed roughly.

Regina's eyes popped open in annoyance that was short lived from the small sniffling she could barely make out through the paper-thin walls.

Then there was no chance for her to consider sleeping.

Any sleepiness lingering in her vanished when the yelling started. The sniffles turned to cries.

"Emma?" Regina whispered, tapping the woman's arm. Emma, ever the rock, didn't stir. If it wasn't for her snoring, she could've passed as dead. "Emma?"

" _You ungrateful little shit._ " A penetrating voice cut through the barriers of the room. " _You just don't listen. I think it's time you're taught your place. Ain't good for stealing. Only thing I can get from you is check and it ain't enough to have to deal with you every day, all day._ "

"Emma," Regina said more urgently. She sat up, Emma's hand falling between her legs before the other woman turned to her other side at being jostled. Regina shoved her shoulder and only got a tired grumble. Emma wouldn't be coherent after being that deep in her sleep for this long.

Regina got up from the bed walking closer to the wall separating her from the verbal abuse that was going on.

" _…take it off. You're going to feel this._ "

The horror of the possibilities of what that could've meant didn't have time to settle with her as a crack against skin split the air. A loud, pained cry followed it, drowning Regina in a glimpse of a memory. She suffered many abuses at the hands of her mother but it was never something her mother couldn't heal. Nothing that wouldn't go away with a touch of magic.

That memory overtook her long enough for her to forget her mother wasn't there. She wasn't hurting anyone anymore, but someone was suffering at the hands of a parent incapable of giving an ounce of genuine care to their child. She suffered it and her anger and mistakes put Emma through it too. And she couldn't hear it anymore.

The door was left unlocked, providing ridiculously easy access to the room. Regina thought nothing of what she was doing…of what she was about to do. Even when a stumbling, intoxicated man in grubby clothes and a worn belt in his hand. He may not have even gotten a glimpse of her before her fist met his face. He didn't go down but he stumbled, arm raised as if he was threatening to hit her too.

Her throbbing, broken knuckles didn't do much but the lamp did and he dropped.

From what she was hearing from her room, she only expected a sorry excuse of a man – a father – not a woman who was loyal to him. And that was just as bad. She spotted the drugs laid out on the small table against the wall.

A lighter.

White powder.

A spoon.

Pills.

A needle.

The woman was unmoving in the chair, not that Regina really cared for either of the adults in the room. She tore her eyes away from the ruined life and finally spotted the child she came to help.

She was small and shaking from fear and it broke her heart to see such a thing. Something so unforgiving. Regina took gentle steps towards the girl, through broken glass nipping at the bottom of her feet. A rock settled in Regina's stomach at the sight of her torn jeans and baggy shirt. When she felt she was close enough, she knelt.

"He can't hurt you anymore," she said. The child looked up at her slowly, eye wide with fear and worry. "I made him go away. I promise."

It looked as though she would have to find a way to console a crying, traumatized child from afar but to her surprise, the girl threw herself into Regina. She held on tight refusing to let go. Regina couldn't say she understood how her presence even prompted such a reaction but it was possible maybe, just maybe she was the savior this girl had been waiting for.

She didn't cry, not really, just heavy sniffles and light tears that chilled Regina's bare shoulder.

"Are you okay, little one?" Regina asked, easily collecting the child in her arms and sitting down on the seemingly untouched bed.

In the more comfortable position the girl nodded into her chest and held on harder, burying herself further into Regina's warmth.

"That's good." She looked down at the brown curls and bright brown eyes. Instinctively, she thumbed away a tear from the small cheek and wasn't met with a flinch, just a growing calm. "My name is Regina."

"Gina," she said in a mumble, like it was important for her to remember it.

She kept the child in her arms and made sure the possibly overdosed body stayed out of her sight as she was frightened enough for a lifetime.

"Maddox," the girl said quietly. Regina gave her a small smile but didn't say anything.

Of course, this whole situation looked bad, but Regina didn't find herself caring all that much what could happen now.

She just kept her hand against her back with soothing circles as the red and blue lights lit up the room from outside.


	3. Chapter 3

 

"Thank you for meeting me, Miss Mills."

Regina sat down in the lone chair across from Jaime Marvel. A desk with papers stacked high was almost a barrier between them but they were neat and organized. Her eyes lingered on them a little too long for the other woman not to notice.

"I try to be the best at my job," Jaime said, glancing at the stacks. "It's not always easy as you can tell from meeting Maddox."

"No one wants memories like that," Regina said.

"I hope she's young enough to forget them as she gets older."

"You said Maddox wanted to see me. Why?"

"It's only my theory but I think for such a young child your actions created some sort of attachment." Regina only seemed to frown. "I suppose other than myself she's spent a lot of time with adults who didn't care for her and then you show up and make them go away."

"That makes some sense, I suppose," Regina said.

"It's just a theory. I figured with her being young and all…but surely, children's psychology is much more complex than my simple explanation."

"I see…" She glanced around the room and cleared her throat. "You said Maddox wanted to see me. Is she here?"

"Actually, no." Regina raised an eyebrow and Jaime hurried to explain. "I took notice to the fact that Maddox wanted to see you and you didn't hesitate to agree. It's a reach on my part but I used what little power I have to search for you."

"Excuse me?"

She pulled a folder from the stack on her right and opened it. "I mean to say, I looked you up and found that you had files in our system. You adopted."

"I did. Why is that important?"

"Again, I'm reaching – hopefully. In your file you adopted years ago and I hoped when you came in today you might give some thought to opening your home again for another child."

"You want me to adopt Maddox?"

"This is unorthodox but it's not everyday the perfect person falls out of the sky. And I don't mean adopt right now but maybe for a time, foster her. From what I found you're a well-received politician and you have a clean record. It looks good on paper."

"But you don't know me."

"Miss Mills, I know people in my field make a lot of mistakes – sometimes on purpose – but I'd like to believe that adoption worker who worked with you judged your character correctly. Besides I'm not going to hand her off to you with out more background checking and of course, I must make sure the living arrangements are acceptable and other visits to assure Maddox is being treated well."

"That worked out well for her last time," Regina said. She didn't blink at the sting on the woman's face from her words. "Not that I don't deem myself fit but…"

"I understand your concern. I admit I failed. I'm hoping this is my step towards making up for that. Visits are very frequent in the beginning and then when things appear to be going well we cut back."

"And what good did that do her?"

"It didn't. But I followed the rules set for this because I have fifty cases, minimum, always there." Their eyes both went to the files. "If I could dedicate all my time to Maddox, I would. She's is a perfect little girl in a – excuse my language – shitty situation. But if I spent everyday checking on her then another child is subject to a violent ex-partner that could be back in a home and I didn't do my unannounced visit that could prevent a world of horror from happening.

"Miss Mills, I'm not honest with others about my work. It isn't rewarding or satisfying at the end of the day. It can be, but it rarely is for me, and it's my own fault. I take difficult cases. It is satisfying when they are successful. I do my very best for all the children I have to work with. I owe them something. Some hope. So, trying, with you, is the least I owe to Maddox."

"I understand the reality of the system more than you would know. A friend..."

"Your friend at the diner wouldn't happened to be one of them? She was giving me a very intense look."

"She is. I've heard stories from her that give me chills. Social workers who don't care, foster parents who don't care." Regina let out a sigh.

"I know this is a lot to ask of you, but I want you to think about it. I know you live farther away from Portland, but I'll make the distance work if this is something you'd be willing to do."

"Quite honestly, I wouldn't have much to think about except my son-"

"I understand. This is will affect your family especially if it turns into an adoption somewhere down the line. It's best you take your time to think about it."

"But what about Maddox?"

"I didn't tell her when, but I promised I would find you. Unfortunately, she's learned patience in ways other children haven't."

"I won't take too long. A simple discussion and a night or two to think it over should provide a sure answer."

"I really do appreciate that, Miss Mills."

* * *

Despite the impressive room service, Emma was craving Thai takeout – something Storybrooke was lacking. Regina agreed to it to Emma's surprise but denied her request to make one appear in town. She didn't really take it as a new experience since her mind was running over the Maddox situation she was now faced with. Emma hadn't expected her to pay attention to the tv either – which she was right about – but she was thinking too hard.

Emma was picking through her food, stabbing at the pieces she wanted now. They were twenty minutes into Mad Men with Emma spearing her food instead of properly using her chopsticks and Regina using the chopsticks the right way with her own.

"Do you think I should?" Regina asked, absently staring into the tv screen.

Emma slowly looked away from the tv with a mouth full of food. Knowing Regina was soon going to strangle her for not chewing and swallowing before talking, she waited until the food was down her throat before saying, "I thought you didn't want to talk about it."

"Because it feels like a decision I should be making on my own but…it affects you as well. And Henry.  _Our_  son. Now I'm not sure."

"Go for it, Regina. Why not?" Emma said, taking another bite of her food, glancing back at the tv. She'd seen all the current seasons twice but sometimes all the dialogue seemed completely new to her.

"Go for it? That's all you have to say?" Regina sat her food down on the coffee table and turned to Emma a bit away from her on the couch. "This is a serious matter. It's a big deal as you would say."

"What do you expect me to say? I'm never going to say no to something like this."

"But this will change our lives. What if it isn't a good idea? We live in Storybrooke, that alone will cause dozens of problems."

"I'm not going to say no. Henry won't say no. So, how about we skip the what if's now? In the end, Maddox will be your daughter. Cut the shit. Call Henry. We'll figure the rest out as we go."

"This is so unusual," Regina murmured. Emma tilted her head curiously. "Since when am I coming to you for advice? Hell must have frozen over."

"You're such a jerk." Emma elbowed her and looked back to the tv again. "You're lucky I put up with your shit."

"My shit? What about yours, Miss Swan?" Regina questioned with a smirk.

"You love me. You can deal." Emma waved her hand at Regina. "You're growing on me, I guess."

Regina sighed and leaned back into the couch, leading them into a long silence filled with some talking from the tv. In just enough time for Emma to think their conversation was over, Regina turned to her again.

"Thank you. For Robin and…now this."

"You're welcome." She stirred around the remains of her food and shrugged. "It's what best friends do. Hopefully, if I'm not aware and I'm dating an asshole you'll tell me."

"Hook is an asshole. Mostly," Regina said.

"He doesn't really count."

"Why's that?"

"I'd never marry the guy. He's a jerk but he's entertaining at least. It's just casual, y'know." She shrugged again. "And not so much anymore. I mean, don't think I haven't noticed what he's trying. Date me as his redemption shortcut. I thought pirates liked a challenge."

"Easy women and revenge. Not that I'm assuming-"

"I know what you meant. That sounds right too. Men are assholes."

Regina pulled her knees up to her chest and relaxed into the couch, watching Emma peel the label off her beer.

It was unusual for her to do things like that but Emma didn't over exaggerate feeding her ice cream and tequila shots. They had spent a lot of time together after Robin left and whatever walls of mannerisms Cora instilled in her collapsed in the comforting presence of Emma Swan. Only Emma saw a more carefree Regina Mills than the one from a year ago – or even six months ago.

"I told Hook one night I wasn't in the mood for a drink or a man." She turned to Regina with the label rolled between her fingers. "I lied. I really wanted a drink."

They both laughed until the tv drowned their amusement and Emma touched Regina's calf just before she stood up from the couch. "This story we're in will end how you want it to."

"Operation Mongoose was a failure."

"Operation Mongoose wasn't about Robin. It was about  _you_. It still is."

Emma patted her knee and picked up her mostly empty beer, leaving Regina alone to think. It wasn't long after that she picked up her phone and stared at Henry's contact on the screen. She knew the Charmings spoiled him as any grandparents should so she expected that if she called he'd pick up because he was wide awake.

She pressed call and waited. It rung for longer than she expected and nearly hung up under the impression Henry was actually asleep. But before she could change her mind, he picked up.

"Hey, Mom. Everything okay?" Henry asked.

"Hi. No, no…everything is fine," Regina said, a small grin pulling at her lips. "I thought you'd be asleep."

"I know it's past my bedtime but in my defense I'm finishing up my homework."

"That gives you a few points then."

"So, why are you up so late tonight, Mom?" Henry questioned.

"Your mother and I just finished dinner actually…"

"What show did she make you watch this time?"

"Mad Men."

"You know, there are shows about the DC Universe. You don't have to watch anything she tells you to."

Regina chuckled and said, "I'll look into that. I did call you for a specific reason. I need to ask you something."

"Yes, I want to skip school to hang out with you guys," Henry said, sounding eager – even though surely he knew that wasn't what she was going to ask him.

"That's far from what I'm asking, Henry." Regina smiled but cleared her throat in an attempt to focus herself. She had thought everything out. Everything Henry needed to know, and she didn't want to forget to tell him he could take his time with his answer. "You're silliness comes from your mother but I need for you to listen carefully. It's very important."

"Okay…" Henry sounded a little worried.

"You remember the little girl I saved that led to my arrest?"

"Yeah. Which is still kind of awesome."

"Agree to disagree." Regina muttered much to Henry's amusement. "Well, her name is Maddox. She's five years old and today I spoke with her social worker."

"Social worker? Is she an orphan now?"

"Well, I suppose it's lucky for her that those horrible people weren't her real parents. She's in the foster system."

"Oh…like Ma." Regina sighed at the dejected tone in his voice. A part of her would always feel guilty for it but it was easier to know that she had been forgive by the two people who's forgiveness really mattered to her. Before she could say anything, he caught her off guard and asked, "Are you going to adopt her now?"

"I…" She raked her free hand through her lengthening hair. Secretly, she took pleasure in having it long enough to adopt the same gesture Emma used when she was frustrated. "Well…you've really ruined everything I had planned to say."

"It was pretty obvious where this was going once you mentioned social worker," Henry said. At least he sounded a bit apologetic at ruining her process. "So, are you?"

"Her social worker thinks because I helped her out of the bad situation she was in, that it may have left an impression on her. She's so young and well, I suppose the theory may make some sense. Anyhow, she would like me to consider fostering Maddox for some time and it may lead to adoption later down the road but-"

"Yes."

"What?"

"I said yes. I think it's a good idea." He paused, shuffling in the background. "I'm proud of you, Mom."

"Proud?"

"Yeah. You got arrested for saving someone's life. You're a hero. That's kinda what heroes do."

"I appreciate that, Henry, but there are some things you need to consider before you make this decision. I'd have live here for a while."

"You would?"

"Yes. Fostering requires home visits and having a social worker dropping into Storybrooke at random might cause problems."

"Makes sense. You probably would be denied if someone sees a dragon flying around. But how long would you be there?"

"I'm hoping for only a few months. But I'd only be an hour away. I'm sure your mother wouldn't mind driving you."

"So I could come see you anytime?"

"As long as it doesn't interfere with school, yes."

For a while Henry didn't say anything, which worried Regina. Since he'd mostly already known what she was going to ask, all her planned explanations were jumbled.

"Henry, I-"

"It'll be kinda weird, but I understand. Paperwork." He groaned much like Emma whenever she was reminded of work.

"But Henry-"

"Mom, you can do this as long as you promise me two things."

"And what's that?" Regina frowned.

"I get to pick your new house and we can have Christmas there in Portland."

"Really? That's all?"

"I'll take comic books along with that."

"Nice try. Is that really it, Henry?" Regina took her bottom lip between her teeth. "I don't want you to think I'm abandoning you or I'm trying get away-"

"I know you're not abandoning me. It would be nice that all your worrying will be directed to an actual baby." Regina rolled her eyes. "This is all okay. I know you're not going to forget about me. Plus, I'm sure Ma and I will come to agreement to come bother you all the time. You won't have the chance to forget."

"As long as you finish your homework first."

"You're so serious about this whole school thing. I don't get it," Emma said. She pushed off the doorframe and walked back to the couch with two new beers between her fingers.

"Is that Ma?" Henry asked.

"It is."

"It's past her bedtime."

"I think it is," Regina said, snatching the beer away from Emma's hand as she was about to drink it. "It's well beyond yours, too."

Emma waved her hands in frustration and Regina pulled the phone away from her ear. "He says it's past your bedtime. I agree." Emma grimaced and sunk into the couch to pout. "Say goodnight to your son, Miss Swan."

"Night, kid," she grumbled.

Henry laughed and returned the sentiment to them both.

After another minute, Regina was hanging up and feeling better about her decision.

It felt like a huge weight lifted from her in exchange for the weight of planning for this big change in her life.

She'd have make arrangements for the town and, of course, get Emma away from her parents' place because no way was Henry going to be living with his other mother, his grandparents, and his toddler uncle in that tiny loft. There would be lots of paperwork and…well, it was little relieving to think about shopping.

Henry was easy. He liked superheroes and had no real preference with his clothes. The challenge of shopping for – with – a little princess rather than a prince was something to look forward to.

And then it seemed like a decision like this was really simple. Giving her love and affection to a child who needed it, at its core, was very simple.

* * *

"I'm a bit nervous," Regina murmured. Emma paused in the middle of her ice cream and chuckled, earning a frown from Regina.

"You agreed to adopt a kid. It's reasonable," Emma said.

"I didn't agree to adopt her. I'm fostering her."

"Because you are you, fostering and adopting are basically going to become the same thing."

"You're not very helpful."

"You asked me to come and sit with you and I am."

Regina looked over at Emma, shaking her head. She brushed down the fur of the teddy bear she'd brought. Before her mind could start second guessing her choice of plush animal, she easily deflected. "Why are you eating ice cream? It's November," she said.

"Ice cream tastes great any time of year."

"You're the only one who thinks so."

"That's not true but if it makes you feel better." Emma shrugged.

Didn't surprise her one bit that Regina was trying to jab at her but Emma knew well enough it was to keep her calm and she didn't mind. And she hoped it helped. Especially since she spotted the source of Regina's nervousness coming towards them.

"Ready?" Emma asked.

"What?" Emma nodded towards Jaime walking in their direction with an oblivious Maddox in tow. "Good luck."

Regina nodded and stood up smoothing out the invisible wrinkles in her shirt. A thought about her choice of clothes popped into her head and she turned to Emma, about to say something, but Emma raised her hand and shook her head.

She didn't see anything wrong with Regina's clothes. They were always too perfect. The outfit was almost exactly like what Regina had been wearing the first day they arrive in Neverland. The only difference was that she wore a green silk blouse and her boots had way more heel than was appropriate for Neverland – and she wasn't pissed about being in the forest. She looked fine – more than fine.

So, Emma waved her away and Regina brought the teddy bear behind her back and walked forward to meet them half the way.

"Miss Mills," Jaime said lifted her hand.

Regina accepted the handshake and said, "Please, call me Regina."

She nodded. "Regina, I was happy to receive your call." Jaime tapped Maddox's shoulder as she was hiding behind her, staring at other people in the distance. "Maddox, there's a surprise for you."

"Is it a good surprise?" Maddox asked.

"I think so." Jaime shooed her from behind her and Maddox reluctantly step away.

Unfortunately, Maddox was a skeptic at such a young age so she frowned but her expression quickly changed at the sight of Regina. She gasped, eyes lighting up when Regina smiled down at her.

"Gina?" Maddox questioned almost suspiciously. Whatever connection Jaime was certain formed between the pair, seemed to bring Maddox toward Regina until she was close enough to make it as if she were staring up at a giant.

"Hello again, little one," Regina said. She knelt in front of Maddox and the girl immediately hugged her, arms tight around Regina's neck. Regina brought her free around Maddox finding some comfort in the embrace that was similar to their first, except this one wasn't dire and Maddox wasn't in danger.

Maddox pulled away and looked back at Jaime with a small frown and said, "But you said-"

"I said I'd do my best. Regina is a very busy woman," Jaime said.

"You came for me?" Maddox asked Regina.

"Of course, I did. And I brought you something."

She removed the bear from behind her back for Maddox. After a few seconds of only staring, Regina became worried it wasn't the best gift. Maddox was reluctant to take it – she didn't actually move to take it at all.

Regina's doubts about her decision were exchanged for something else she didn't want. Maddox tilted her head slightly, looking between the bear and Regina as if she didn't understand. And if that was the case – she didn't understand being given a gift – then Regina's heart shattered like she hadn't just tried to put it back together after the last few days she's had.

"It's a present from me. I thought you might like it," Regina said, hating to have to explain. In the moment, she wished she'd bought the whole store. She held the bear a little closer to the girl and after another few moments Maddox took it from her hand, examining it before she pulled it to her chest.

"Thank you," Maddox said. A soft voice that had Regina convinced that the moment Maddox officially entered her life she couldn't let her go.

The pair embraced again, Jaime watching while trying not to get teary at the interaction. She cleared her throat after the hug ended and said, "There's a lovely trail and a playground. Maybe you'd like to go explore with Regina, Maddox? She's not from here. You should show her around."

"Okay." Maddox agreed with a determined nod.

Regina stood up again, only to have a hand reaching for hers. She let the little hand slip into hers and let herself be led away. She paused for a quick moment to say something to Jaime. "How long do we have?" She asked.

"I have to supervise but I'd say a few hours. I can do paperwork anywhere. You could have lunch with her as well."

For the first time since she'd met Regina Mills, a genuine smile appeared on her face before Maddox stole her attention away. If they had awards for making the perfect match, she could say this was her first one. Not that she desired any reward. She desired to see a time when Maddox was carefree and happy, the way a five-year-old should. A time when Maddox never needed to see her again because she had a loving home – a permanent one.

"Come on, Gina. There's a slide," Maddox said in the distance.

It was complicated but for Maddox, and Regina, she'd make it work.


End file.
